Parking apparatus



April 26, 1955 MIHAI ALIMANESTIANO PARKING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 5, 1951 6E Y a. i m m 5 3% $5 ma MM 1. M m m M m M wLQTTh United States Patent PARKING APPARATUS Mihai Alimanestiano, Bellaire, Tex., assignor of fifty per cent to Cornelius Kroll, Houston, Tex.

Application November 5, 1951, Serial No. 254,955

3 Claims. (Cl. 214--16.1)

This invention concerns apparatus which is intended more particularly for use in parking automobiles but which is adapted also for use in storing various other commodities which may be handled in like manner.

This invention is a continuation-in-part of my prior applications S. N. 97,021, filed June 3, 1949, entitled Apparatus for Parking Automobiles, and S. N. 237,970, filed July 21, 1951, entitled Garage, now Patent 2,647,647.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved device for conveying an automobile or other article from one storage shelf to another.

it is a particular object of the invention to provide a means for better supporting the conveyor shelf when extended from the elevator platform or other transporta: tion means into juxtaposition with a storage shelf.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device which will be economical to manufacture and maintain, simple to operate and repair, and strong and durable in use.

For a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention reference will now be had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section on line 1-1 of Figure 2 through an apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l, .he section plane of Figure 1 being indicated thereon by the line 1-1;

Figure 3 is a top view of the apparatus.

Referring now to Figure 1 there is shown a garage comprising columns such as those shown at 5, 6, and 7. Joists such as those indicated at 14, 15, 16, and 17 are connected to the columns. On top of the joists rest a plurality of spaced apart elongated members such as parallel beams 1934 forming tiers of storage shelves. Also carried by the joists along both ends of each shelf are a pair of beams such as those shown at 35, 36-37, 38-39, on top of which are mounted rails 40, 41, 42, 43-44.

As described in my copending applications, an automobile to be parked in the garage is driven onto one of the storage shelves that is connected by a driveway with the street. Means is provided to transport the automobile from this initial storage shelf to one of the other storage shelves until such time as the automobile is be taken from the garage, at which time the transportation means brings the automobile back to the initial storage shelf or some other storage shelf similarly connected to the street by a driveway. This transportation means as shown in the drawing comprises an elevator including a platform 50 running up and down between guides 51--52. The guides themselves may be mounted for horizontal movement on tracks such as 53 whereby the elevator can move horizontally as well as vertically, suitable motors (not shown) being provided for moving the elevator both vertically and horizontally.

Supported on the elevator platform are rails 55, 56, to support a carriage 57. The carriage is a U or saddle or sling shaped structure comprising a base 58 and sides 59 and 60. On top of the sides are connected beams 61 and 62 which carry rollers 63-66 rotatably mounted thereon which support the carriage on rails 55, 56 when the carriage is in normal position over the center of the elevator platform. Each of the beams 61, 62 is provided with a rack as shown at 67, 68. The racks are driven by pinions 6972 which are secured to shafts that are rotatably mounted on the sides of rails 55, 56. The rotatable shafts on which the pinions are mounted are also provided with 2,707,054 Patented Apr. 26, 1955 sprocket wheels fixed thereon which are driven through chains 73-76 by motor 77. By this means the carriage can be moved from normal position to an extended position in which the rollers 63, 65 rest on rails 41, 42.. In extended position the carriage is supported in part by means of rails 41, 42 and in part by means of rails 55, 56. By providing additional rollers on the carriage it can be extended so far as to be supported. entirely on rails 55, 56. If desired, rails can be used on the carriage and rollers alongside the storage shelves and on the elevator, this being a mere reversal of the parts.

On top of the carriage base 58 are disposed jacks for raising and lowering a conveyor shelf which includes a base 80 mounted directly on the jacks. The jacks are actuated by electric power from a source not shown. Disposed on top of base 80 are a plurality of spaced apart stub columns 81--89, each of which carries an elongated member or beam. These conveyor beams 91-99 are parallel to each other and to the storage self beams, and in extended position of the carriage the conveyor beams lie in between the storage shelf beams, the conveyor and storage shelf thus being in intimate juxtaposition. The conveyor beams are of less height than the storage beams so that even when the conveyor beams overlie the joists supporting the storage beams they can be lowered so that the tops of the conveyor beams will be lower than the tops of the storage beams, thus enabling the conveyor shelf beams to slip underneath a load carried by the storage shelf beams. By operating the jacks the: conveyor shelf can be raised and lowered relative to the storage shelf to transfer load from one to the other.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, many modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the invention falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus useful for parking automotive vehicles, said apparatus comprising an elevator movable along a vertical shaftway, means to raise and lower the elevator along said shaftway, a plurality of superposed vertically spaced shelves disposed with one side of each shelf adjacent one side of said vertical shaftway, each shelf including a plurality of elongated members disposed in spaced side by side relationship running transverse to said one side of the shelf, the ends of the spaces between said members being open at said one side of the shelf, a carriage, means to support the carriage on the elevator, a conveyor carried by the carriage, means to raise and lower the conveyor relative to the carriage, said conveyor comprising a plurality of elongated members disposed in spaced side by side relationship, support means extending transversely underneath said conveyor members rigidly tying said members together, means at each shelf for supporting the carriage, means to move the carriage back and forth in the direction of the length of said shelf members along said means to support the carriage on the elevator and along any one of said means at each shelf to support the carriage when said supporting means are at the same level between a position in which the conveyor is over the elevator and out of the shelf space and a position in which it is out to the side of the elevator and in the shelf space, said conveyor and shelf members being parallel and meshing with each other when the conveyor is in the shelf space at the same level as a shelf, the ends of the spaces between said conveyor members being open at the side of the conveyor which first intermeshes with each shelf during motion into the shelf space, said support means including portions located directly beneath the spaces between said conveyor members, each of said portions having an upper surface located beneath the upper surface of the conveyor members a distance greater than the vertical thickness of the part of the shelf members which meshes with the conveyor members, and said portions being located underneath the shelf members when the conveyor is in full mesh with the shelf.

2. An apparatus useful for parking automotive vehicles, said apparatus comprising an elevator movable along a vertical shaftway, means to raise and lower the elevator along said shaftway, a plurality of superposed vertically spaced shelves disposed with one side of each shelf adjacent one side of said vertical shaftway, each shelf including coplanar adjacent portions to support the front and rear wheels of an automotive vehicle, each portion comprising a plurality of elongated members, the members in each portion being disposed in spaced apart side by side relationship running transverse to said one side of the shelf, the ends of the spaces between said members being open at said one side of the shelf, a conveyor carried by said elevator, said conveyor comprising coplanar adjacent portions to support the front and rear wheels of an automotive vehicle, each conveyor portion comprising a plurality of elongated members, the members in each conveyor portion being disposed in spaced side by side relationship, support means extending transversely under said conveyor members of both portions of the conveyor and in between said portions, said support means rigidly tying said members and portions together, means to move the conveyor back and forth in the direction of the length of said shelf members between a position in which the conveyor is over the elevator and out of the shelf space and a position in which it is out to the side of the elevator and in the shelf space, said conveyor and shelf members being parallel and meshing with each other when the conveyor is in the shelf space at the same level as a shelf, the ends of the spaces between said conveyor members being open at the side of the conveyor which first intermeshes with each shelf during motion into the shelf space, means to raise and lower said conveyor members relative to any shelf with which it is in mesh, said support means including portions located directly beneath the spaces between said conveyor members, each of said support portions being located underneath the shelf members when the conveyor is in full mesh with the shelf.

3. An apparatus useful for parking automotive vehicles comprising an elevator movable along a vertical shaftway, means to raise and lower the elevator along said shaftway, a plurality of superposed vertically spaced shelves disposed with one side of each shelf adjacent one side of said vertical shaftway, each shelf including a plurality of elongated members disposed in spaced side by side relationship running transverse to said one side of the shelf, the ends of the spaces between said members being open at said one side of the shelf, shelf support means beneath each shelf extending transversely of said shelf members, a carriage, means to support the carriage on the elevator including rotatable means at each end of the carriage for rolling movement in a direction parallel to said shelf members, a conveyor carried by said carriage, means to raise and lower the conveyor relative to the carriage, said conveyor comprising a plurality of elongated members disposed in spaced side by side relationship, means to move the carriage back and forth in the direction of the length of said shelf members between a position in which the conveyor is over the elevator and out of the shelf space and a position in which it is out to the side of the elevator in the shelf space, said conveyor and shelf members being parallel and meshing with each other when the conveyor is in the shelf space at the same level as a shelf, the ends of the spaces between said conveyor members being open at the side of the conveyor which first intermeshes with each shelf during motion into the shelf space, means at each shelf to support the carriage when in the shelf space, each of said carriage supporting means at each shelf and on the elevator including a pair of parallel guides for said rotatable means, said guides of each pair all being spaced apart equal distances, said guides at each shelf being disposed parallel to said shelf members and transverse to and supported by said shelf supporting means and substantially in the same plane as said shelf members and outside said shelf members With one guide at each side of each shelf, said guides on said elevator being aligned with those of each shelf when the conveyor is in position to intermesh therewith, said carriage including a base disposed beneath said conveyor members and means at each side of the base extending upwardly outside said conveyor members, the last said means supporting said rotatable means, said rotatable means resting on said guides on said elevator when the carriage is on the elevator and out of the shelf space, said rotatable means moving out onto said shelf guides at each shelf when said carriage is moved out into the shelf space at the level of each shelf.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,164 Bessing et al Apr. 1], 1893 2,014,351 Becker Sept. 10, 1935 2,168,527 Iversen Aug. 8, 1939 2,647,647 Alimanestiano Aug. 4, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 337,726 Great Britain Oct. 28, 1930 

